We're Alike, You And Me
by KodiakWolfe13
Summary: "We're alike, you and me. We're both two things that shouldn't be mixed." One-Shot.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. ... And the very minor OCs that show up for one scene.**

* * *

Balto stared at the sight with his big, yellow eyes curiously. He was on his daily walkabout of the town, stretching his muscles and seeing if anything was new within the limits. Most of the residents paid him no mind, used to his wandering. Some shooed him away and the very occasional person would pat him on the head or smile at him.

On his wanderings, the wolf-dog kept his ears and eyes open for anything that may be new. Ninety-nine percent of the time, everything was the same as it was the last time he walked but occasionally there was news of something exciting or even sorrowful; someone was getting married, this person just died, those nasty people on fifth street were moving, it was so-and-so's birthday, etc.

But very rarely did Balto see a new family move in.

They were a strange sight, the family of four. It was a middle-aged couple with their teenagers. The mother of the children had light, violet eyes and orange hair in a bob. Her husband dwarfed everyone in the family in size but his cobalt eyes were alight with childlike fascination while his black hair was streaked with grey.

The oldest child was a female with intelligent teal eyes and long, orange hair in a teal head-band. Her younger brother had icy-blue eyes and midnight hair.

While the two adults looked excited to be in their new home, the two teens looked sullen and sad. While the boy just looked depressed, the girl was at least trying to be optimist about the entire thing. She was trying but she was having a hard time making herself and her brother happy in the new town they knew next to nothing about. The two knew nobody and were unfamiliar with the area. They didn't know how to adapt.

Balto, with his head and tail hung low, crept forward a little to better gaze at the family. His curious yellow eyes were mesmerized by the new people. He didn't think he'd ever seen a new family move into the town. There were the occasional visitors, yes, but only to see family. Nome was a city you didn't know existed unless you lived there or you had family that lived there. Nome was the type of town where everybody-knew-everybody and nothing was a secret; full of gossips and storytellers.

The teen girl didn't see the wolf-dog as he crept closer, too busy trying to haul a box that looked to be about twice her weight. The father looked at him before easily becoming distracted by his wife inside.

Then the boy locked eyes with him.

Icy-blue eyes gazed into amber while amber gazed deep into icy-blue. Something sparked in each of their eyes: a connection of sorts. It was like the other knew how the other felt. About what though? Balto didn't know.

The ebony-haired teen smiled small at the wolf-dog. He tilted to the side and waved. His smile, though small, was warm and welcoming. Balto felt drawn to walk forward to the boy but the teen's mother called his name and he became distracted. He shot one last smile to the wolf-dog before trotting inside.

Balto shook his head, a little startled at the encounter but, nevertheless, began moving on from the house.

In his mind, he knew it was just another family and they would eventually catch word of what he was and his horrible reputation.

Even so, he couldn't help but notice the possible connection he had had with the boy.

* * *

Balto walked near the small schoolhouse on his leisurely walkabout. He had heard the bell ring a few minutes earlier from the other side of town. Now that he was approaching it, he noticed most of the town's kids were hanging outside the building. The various ages ranged from small children to teens. The younger ones played games, pretending to be various animals; this one was a tiger, that one was a lion, this one was an eagle. The older kids stood around, talking and joking with their friends.

Balto scanned the kids, tilting his head and recognizing all of them. He even spotted the girl that had recently moved in being surrounded by a large group of kids, interested in what life was like where she lived. The orange-haired girl was smiling and continuously tucking her hair behind her ear.

The wolf-dog also saw the girl's younger brother chatting with a few other kids. He still looked sad but not as lonely as the day Balto saw him for the first time. As he chatted with the other teens, he looked a little withdrawn, having a hard time accepting the new teens. He'd say something and sometimes he'd laugh before sighing longingly.

Balto didn't understand the behavior before he realized the boy probably didn't know how to react to new people.

Maybe he grew up in a town very much like Nome and had very close friends he missed..?

The wolf-dog sighed himself before beginning to walk past the throng of children. He stayed away from the younger children, knowing any adults nearby that were watching would immediately assume the worst. They always seemed to be hyper-vigilant whenever he decided to appear.

As he walked through the crowd, he knew the older kids were watching him wearily and making up stories, as they were probably the biggest gossips in town. His stories were always exaggerated and overdone but it amused the kids greatly for whatever reason.

The teens talking to the new boy were no exception.

"Hey, it's Balto." One of the kids, a boy with blonde hair, whispered, like it mattered if the wolf-dog heard or not.

"Balto?" The new boy asked curiously.

"Yeah, Balto's the stray wolf-dog that lives on the boat outside of town. He's over there." A blonde girl, the twin to the first blonde, explained and pointed over to where Balto was. The wolf-dog cringed in his walking, noticing the blue eyes of the ebony-haired teen on him.

Much to Balto's surprise, the teen merely shrugged and said "…so what? I saw him the other day."

"Haven't you heard the stories?" A brunette asked.

Dryly, the boy said "I just moved here. What do you think?"

"We gotta tell him the stories!" The first boy sung and with that Balto took off in a trot, eager to get away. He knew all the stories. He didn't want to hear them again, no matter how farfetched they were. The wolf-dog trotted the rest of his route before going back to his boat, where Boris waited for him patiently.

"How was today's walk?" Boris asked curiously.

The wolf-dog shrugged and lied "It was just another walk. Nothing happened."

* * *

That evening, while Balto was sitting by the water and watching the sun go down, he heard the sound of crunching snow. Ears perked, he looked over his shoulder with big amber eyes and called "Boris?"

Balto wasn't answered by his long-time friend and he knew he wasn't going to get an answer. He could hear Boris on the deck of the boat, singing a song to himself as he did whatever it was he was doing.

Still curious, the wolf-dog got up from his sitting position and, with careful steps, he carefully crept towards the boat. He readied his muscles, just in case it was one of the local dogs wanting to mess with him. They occasionally came around his parts and it usually had him retreating to somewhere safer for a day or two.

Much to Balto's surprise, it was the teen with ebony hair. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets as he gazed at the abandoned boat with interest. His breath came out in puffs from the cold but he looked at ease. His lonely, sullen expression was vacant. His expression was mostly just curious. It showed some interest, something his eyes had been lacking since he moved to the small town.

The teen sensed Balto's amber gaze and turned his own blue stare to the wolf-dog's. Balto immediately shrunk back from sight but he heard a few whistles and a "Come here, boy".

Balto looked out from behind the boat again and saw the teen waiting patiently for him to come out, in a crouched position. Balto saw nothing but gentleness in his eyes.

Taking a leap of faith on the teen, Balto carefully stepped out from behind the boat with his ears pinned back. He held his head and tail low. With each step closer, a smile appeared on the boy's face. He looked so hopeful in the canine that Balto made his steps a little faster to see his face closer. He'd never met a human so trusting in him.

Balto stopped in front of the teen, who reached out his hand to pat the wolf-dog on the head. Balto flinched back instinctively but the boy was patient with him and just tilted Balto's head up, easing it up high on his shoulders.

"You don't have to be afraid." The teen assured while smiling. "I heard your name is Balto. Well mine is Danny."

Balto slowly smiled back at the teen, tail beginning to wag with happiness.

Neither noticed Boris smiling down at them.

* * *

The next day, on Balto's walkabout, he made it to the school just as it let out. A bunch of kids flew out from the doors all at once, laughing and yelling in excitement. Danny was one of the last kids out, all by himself. The kids from the day before immediately tried to gain his attention. The teen's eyes found Balto though.

Danny, hesitantly, walked over to the wolf-dog. Balto stayed in his spot, waiting for the teen to get to him. His tail had already begun to wag. He and Danny had played in the snow the night before, chasing each other for a few hours and getting soaked in the white flakes.

Seeing Balto's excitement, Danny smiled brightly before walking at a normal speed over to the dog and petting his head. He continued to smile as he said "Hi Balto! Hi! Did you have fun last night?"

Balto, who's ears were laid back in excitement as his tail wagged excitedly, released a small yap in reply to the boy's question. Danny laughed, still smiling brightly. The teen's hand was quickly petting the wolf-dog, in just as much excitement.

Danny got up from the ground and began walking down the street. He called for Balto to follow him. The wolf-dog complied willingly and trotted up beside the boy, his tail nothing but a blur.

Danny met up with his sister, who Balto found out was named Jazz, and the girl said a small hello to the dog but remained a little wary. Balto, to ease the small bit of sting, focused on the one boy who found him to be not as bad as everyone believed.

When the two humans got home, the two said goodbye. Danny's was a lot warmer and promised to see the wolf-dog again soon.

Balto was pleasantly surprised to be called a 'good boy'.

* * *

Danny met Balto at the boat again that night. He had a green ball in his hand and the two eagerly played fetch. Balto had seen it done many times with the huskies of the village with their owners but Balto had never partaken in it himself. The wolf-dog found it a lot more fun than he originally thought.

They moon has risen high into the sky by the time Danny and Balto stopped, only cause they were tired. The wolf-dog led the boy onto the boat, dragging Danny by his sleeve with his teeth. The teen laughed at the wolf-dog's eagerness, following behind.

The two sat on the side of the boat, side by side, and watched the waves reflect the sliver of the moon in the sky. Blue-silver moonbeams shone down from the crescent moon and made the water sparkle. Waves lapped at the shore absently, nothing but a rustle in the still night. The city behind the two was quiet and dark, nothing but shapes in the dim light of the moon.

Balto sat in front of the boy, letting Danny rest his chin on his head. The wolf-dog could feel every breathe the teen took, chest rising and falling slowly. Small puffs of air landed on Balto's head from Danny's breathing but Balto didn't mind. The close proximity was nice, full of companionship and love. Danny was trailing his hand on Balto's side, petting him slowly.

"You know something, Balto?" Danny asked, still gazing over the sea with his blue eyes.

Balto perked at his name, doing his best to look up with only his eyes.

"We're alike, you and me. We're both two things that shouldn't be mixed, with two instincts clashing all the time." Danny said slowly. Balto perked even more to hear what the teen was saying better.

"You're a wolf and a husky... I'm a human and ghost..." Danny mumbled.

Balto got up from his seat and turned around before sitting back down, looking at his companion with interest.

Danny tilted his head to the side as he studied Balto's face. "When my parents told me we were moving... I got so mad. They wanted me to leave behind everything I knew. That was painful. I couldn't stop thinking of ways to get back at them. And then I realized what I was doing. It was my ghost side doing that... Protecting its obsession..."

Balto crawled a little closer, amber eyes wide while Danny smiled sadly down at him.

"I still get angry. And I don't like it. Hopefully, one day it won't be like this anymore." Danny said longingly. Balto just whined some comfort while resting his head on Danny's knee. The teen, still stroking his sort-of pet, placed a gentle peck on his head, making Balto smile up at the teen.

* * *

Walking Danny and his sister home became a daily routine. Balto even began showing up at the school early, pacing impatiently outside the doors, waiting for the bell to ring and the kids to spill from the doors. Danny was always one of the last kids to file out, no one ever by his side like the others.

The teen always greeted the wolf-dog warmly, calling him loving names and treating him as if he was the only one in the world. Balto would jump around, occasionally giving an excited yap. His tail would wag so fast it was only a blur.

Occasionally people watched with astonishment at the interaction but it eventually became common knowledge. It made the dogs more distant from the wolf-dog and it made Danny the freak of the school, a title he didn't give any heed to.

His sister Jazz eventually began to calm around the dog, accepting his presence as if he were normal. It made Balto feel so much better walking home with them.

Danny would always say goodbye at his house before going inside to do his homework, his sister by his side. But the teen always came to Balto's boat once he was finished and they'd play games with each other. It was always one of the most interesting things Balto did.

And sometimes, the two would just lay on the boat, looking at the sky. Danny would lay on his back with Balto draped across his chest. The teen would talk to the wolf-dog, as if he would respond. Danny knew that Balto could understand him, though. The way the intelligent amber gaze would look at him as he spoke said it all.

But one day Danny didn't go to the boat, where Balto was waiting patiently. The wolf-dog's heart sunk once the moon started rising. Boris tried cheering him up but Balto merely walked past and down the board. He would be restless for awhile, the hurt keeping him awake. The wolf-dog let his feet decided where he was going and found himself staring at Danny's house. Ears bent back, he walked forward so he could more clearly see each detail. His ears perked when he heard a sniffle.

Balto hesitantly walked up onto the porch and looking to the side he saw Danny lying on the porch swing, a thick blanket on top of his form and a pillow under his head. He was holding a piece of paper in his hands, staring at it longingly. A couple of tears ran down his face as he stared at the sheet in his hands.

Curiously, Balto walked closer till he was standing in front of the teen. Danny's eyes wandered from the paper and into Balto's amber gaze. He smiled sadly at the wolf-dog and reached out to pet him. "Hey Buddy. Sorry I didn't see you today."

Danny patted the swing in front of him and Balto jumped up and laid beside him. The wolf-dog looked closely at the sheet of paper in Danny's hand, wandering what it was.

The paper was a photo. It was of Danny and two other people. One was a girl with short, ebony hair and violet eyes. The other was of a cocoa-skinned boy with forest green eyes. The three weren't looking at the camera but, instead, sitting on a large rock wall and laughing at something. Their eyes were alight with joy, even though the sky behind them was gray and dreary.

"That's Sam." Danny said, pointing to the girl, before pointing to the boy. "And that's Tucker. They're my two friends from my home in Amity. Today, I finally video-chatted with them for the first time. We talked like no time had passed and was the reason I didn't come to the boat today. The minute we hung up though, I realized I said 'I'll see you tomorrow' like I was still in Amity."

Balto looked from the photo to Danny's sad face, blue eyes bring holes into the picture. The teen's cold hand was absently stroking Balto's fur, playing with the brown strands. His lip was quivering from the struggle not to just burst out sobbing.

"They're the thing I miss the most." Danny admitted, the hand clenching tighter around the photo.

Balto slipped out from under Danny's arm and crawled over his body to behind him. He carefully slipped under the blanket to stay warm before plopping down behind the boy. He draped one of the front legs over Danny's side before resting his head on Danny's. The teen let a few tears escaped before mumbling "I love you, Balto."

The wolf-dog whined in comfort before snuggling closer to the human.

Danny closed his tired eyes and drifted off, as did Balto.

* * *

In the morning, as the sun was rising, Jazz opened the door worriedly, looking around the city for her brother, as he was not in his room. She stopped short when she saw him sleeping on the porch swing with the resident wolf-dog sleeping behind him in a comforting way.

Jazz smiled faintly before carefully taking careful steps towards her brother. She bent down beside the swing and wiped away the frozen tears on the boy's face. She looked up just as Balto opened his bleary amber eyes. The girl let the wolf-dog regain his bearings, waiting patiently.

Balto, in mild shock, looked at the orange-haired girl with wide eyes. He remained in the same position he had taken last night to comfort the ebony-haired teen. His eyes blinked at Jazz in waiting.

The girl reached out and patted the wolf-dog on the head. She whispered "Good boy, Balto. Very, _very_ good boy."

The wolf-dog smiled before letting his eyes drift close again. Jazz got up from the ground and walked back indoors, quietly shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Danny and Balto watched the dog-sled races from the teen's porch. Danny was leaning against the railing while Balto sat on the railing. Both were watching intently, ready to see who would win.

They watched as a flare flew into the sky, announcing the leader of the race was only a quarter mile away. Danny and Balto bounced excitedly, wanting to see who would win. It didn't come as a surprise when the fastest dog-sled team appeared around the corner, the leader of the team being Steele, one of Balto's main antagonists.

Danny looked at Balto dryly, having seen the black and white husky picking on the wolf-dog multiple times in the past few weeks, and said "What a glory hound."

Balto barked loudly in laughter, gaining attention from some of the nearby bystanders. Danny laughed along with Balto, making people turn away with astonished looks on how the teen could so easily react with an animal that had the potential to be dangerous.

Danny's gaze drifted down to the finish line, where he saw a red husky named Jenna and her owner Rosie. The teen nudged his companion and said teasingly "Look Balto! It's your girlfriend!"

The wolf-dog swatted the boy with his tail, a smile gracing his face. Danny continued to laugh as a strong gust of wind flew by and made his hair whip around. The teen released a small shudder before looking at the track again. He watched as Rosie's hat flew off her head and landed in the middle of the road. He watched her try to lunge for it but Jenna held her back with her teeth.

"Balto, fetch!" Danny yelled, pointing at the hat. Balto perked immediately looked down the track and caught sight of the hat. He jumped off the railing and raced into the middle of the road just as Steele and his team flew by. Balto, seeing as he wasn't going to make it in time with the pace Steele had set, picked up his own speed. Determination sky high, he sped past the husky and his team, ignoring all the shocked gasps and stunned gazes. The wolf-dog jumped in front of Steele, grabbed the hat with his teeth, before quickly jumping past the finish line and to the sidelines.

From his spot, Danny jumped up and down excitedly, screaming at the top of his lungs "Yes! That's my dog! That's Balto! Oh YES!"

Danny raced from his house, down the track, and to his companion. "Good boy, Balto! That was a very good boy!"

Balto smiled in glee as Danny showered him with compliments and petting. Rosie ran up beside the teen, jumping up and down excitedly. Balto gave her the hat and she continued to bubble with happiness as she placed it on her head. She began to copy Danny's actions and love all over the wolf-dog.

Jenna walked up beside with an amazed smile as she gazed at Balto. The wolf-dog looked away bashfully, walking behind his sort-of owner and nuzzling his way under his arm and he stood with his head held high on his shoulders. Danny grinned at him and Rosie continued to nuzzle the wolf-dog lovingly.

"Thank you for doing that." Jenna said, amazement still in her eyes. Balto pinned his ears back but continued to smile.

"I-It was nothing." Balto replied, tilting his head to the side. His eyes drooped when Rosie began scratching behind ear. He leaned into the touch, making Danny snort and Jenna laugh.

"Rosie, get away from him!" The girl's father shouted, rushing up worriedly. The red-head looked up at her father with confusion.

"But why?"

"He might bite ya, Honey. He's part-wolf." The man said, trying to get his daughter away from the now-sullen wolf-dog. Jenna pinned her ear's back at her owner's words, gazing at Balto with sympathy.

Danny stood up with a frown on his face. "I would like to respectfully disagree with you, sir. I have been with Balto a lot since I moved here. It's common knowledge now. He has never once made a move to bite me. You shouldn't discriminate him because of his heritage. It's not like he had a choice in the matter."

The man frowned at him in annoyance before taking his daughter and leading him away.

Balto looked up at his companion with a big grin. Danny stared down at him with the same grin. "Hey, we're alike. We gotta stick together!"

Jenna looked between the two, a little confused but also interested in their specific relationship.

"Alike?" The red husky asked.

Balto chuckled, looking back at Jenna with a smile. "Uh... It's a long story."

Jenna continued to smile. "Maybe you could tell it to me sometime."

Balto beamed before looking up at his sort-of owner when he heard the teen's name being called by his mother. Danny groaned before crouching down to peck Balto on the head. "I'll see you later, Balto. Mom's calling."

The teen jogged away, shouting "I'm-a coming!"

Jenna continued to smile as the boy ran away. "I'll see you later too, Balto. Then you can tell me the story."

The wolf-dog nodded eagerly and Jenna walked away, going off to find her owners.

Balto turned around, fully prepared to journey to his boat where he'd tell Boris about his day but the wolf-dog ran into Steele. Immediately, his mood dampened. He probably hadn't made the best impression on the husky by unofficially winning the race.

"What do you think you were doing, Half-Breed?" Steele questioned as his lackeys came up behind him.

"Yeah! What did you think you were doing?!" Star repeated, making everyone, including Balto, roll their eyes.

"I was just getting Rosie's hat. You would have trampled it." Balto explained calmly.

"How do you know?" Steele questioned heatedly.

Dryly, Balto answered "You were running straight for it. I had to jump in front of you to get the hat."

Steele reeled back from the answer before growling. "_Why_ did you do it?"

"Danny told me to." Balto answered, smiling faintly at the name.

Steele scoffed. "That human is a freak."

Anger was immediately coursing through Balto and he took a step forward into Steele's personal space. He shoved his snout into the husky's face and said "Danny is _not _a freak. You can call me whatever you please but my human is _off limits_. _Do you understand_?"

Steele muttered a 'why-you' before getting ready to lunge. He reeled back, yet again, when a snowball hit him in the face unexpectedly. All the canines looked to the side and saw Danny standing on his porch, snow in his hands.

"I see you, fools!" He called over to them. The huskies began backing away at the strange look on the boy's face.

"That's right. Back away. Fear me." Danny teasingly said in a demonic voice. The huskies began trotting away silently, shaking off the weirdness of the encounter. Once they were far away, Danny and Balto began laughing.

* * *

Balto looked sullenly through the window as he watched Danny sit beside his sister's bedside. The girl was unconscious, a fever raging through her body. All the occupants in the hospital had the same symptoms. They were all suffering from diphtheria. Including Jazz and Rosie.

Jenna was also inside, her head resting on her girl's bed as she watched the girl in her fitful sleep.

Balto perked when he saw Danny get up and head for the door. The wolf-dog jumped from his perch of the stack of logs and trotted over to the hospital doors just as Danny exited. The teen gave his companion a smile and jerked his head to the side. Balto jumped onto the porch and onto the railing as Danny leaned against it. Silently, the two looked each other up and down.

"I wanna do something about this." Danny admitted to his only friend.

Balto straightened when he heard those words.

"Can you do something for me?" Danny asked.

Balto bent down and nuzzled the teen's hand, letting him know that he'd do anything for the boy.

"They ran out of antitoxin in there. They've tried to get more here but there's blizzards everywhere, except, seemingly, here. The closet the serum is in Nenana. They've decided to find the fastest dogs tomorrow to make a team and sent them to Nenana to get the serum." Danny informed, taking a step closer to the wolf-dog. "I _know_ you're fast. I _know_ you're strong. I _know_ you can do this. Will you? For me? I'd do it... But I'm not exactly a dog. Or a musher."

Balto stood on the railing and gave his sort-of owner an encouraging smile.

Danny smiled at the wolf-dog and slipped his arms around his shoulders in a hug. "Thank you, Balto."

* * *

Balto walked beside Danny as the teen led him through large throng of people. The teen continued to look behind him and make sure his companion was with him and hadn't gotten lost in the crowd. Balto smiled at the boy every time he looked back, making sure to stay extra close to Danny for comfort.

The teen walked up to a man with a clipboard and a stop-watch. He waited patiently for the man to notice him before saying "I want my dog in the race."

The man shrugged before looking down at Balto and, promptly, frowning. "I don't know..."

"He's fast. Please. My sister is sick and I want to enter this race myself but I can't. But Balto can." Danny said, looking down at the wolf-dog with pride. Balto, in response, stood even taller.

The man rolled his eyes before writing Balto's name on the list. "Fine."

"Yes!" Danny cheered and Balto bounced beside him excitedly. The teen bent down beside the wolf-dog and whispered encouragingly "Show them what a good boy you are."

Balto licked Danny's face before trotting over to the starting line, ignoring the other dogs' astonished looks. He could feel Steele glaring holes into his head but he stood firmly in front of the starting line.

The other dogs lined up at the starting line. Some tried to give Balto insults to make him feel bad but the wolf-dog was dead-set in his decision. His eyes were focused forward on the race. Nothing more, nothing less. He faintly heard Danny in the cheering crowd screaming "Go Balto! You can do it, boy!"

When the blank was fired, Balto was immediately in the lead. His feet ate the ground under him like it was nothing. The other dogs were a little delayed because they were in shock at how fast Balto reacted and how fast he was going. The wolf-dog turned sharply around the turnabout, far ahead in the race. The huskies behind him were slowly catching up but Balto pushed himself to go even faster. His heart was pounding in his ears. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins. He felt empowered.

High on adrenaline, the wolf-dog sped past the finish line long before all the other dogs.

He turned around, searching for the ebony-haired teenager as everyone began cheering. He easily found the teen and ran to meet him, yapping in excitement at his accomplishment.

Danny fell down on his knees beside the wolf-dog and hugged Balto's big neck. "I knew you could do it! That's my good boy! Good boy, good boy!"

Balto tackled the boy to the ground and began licking his face incessantly. Danny laughed, shielding his face with his hands the best he could. "Come on Balto, that's enough! Stop licking my face!"

"That was the fastest I've ever seen a dog run!" One of the resident teens yelled, wide-eyed at the wolf-dog. Danny pushed himself off the ground but Balto remained practically in his lap. The teen wrapped his arms around Balto with a smile and said "Balto's just special like that."

* * *

The team, with Balto right behind Steele, took off after Nenana that night. Danny had spent a few minutes before their leaving to tell the wolf-dog how proud he was, he'd be waiting for him to come back, and not to let any of the dogs bother him.

With those words of encouragement, Balto traveled with the team of dogs to Nenana. Along the way, he made friends with a couple of dogs because of a few words of encouragement of his own to them when they had begun to get wary. The wolf-dog, though, was easy to succumb to the feeling of adrenaline running through his veins.

Steele still didn't like the wolf-dog. He felt threatened in the half-breed's presence as he mingled with the other dogs and gained respect from them. It took Balto telling the dual-colored husky that he didn't want his spot on the team for him to calm and turn his feelings neutral towards the wolf-dog.

The fast team made it quickly to Nenana and back to Nome in a week and a half. As the team raced through the streets, Balto continually searched for his companion and found him waiting by the steps to the hospital. Once he was unlatched from his harness, the wolf-dog sprung over to the teen, who enveloped him a hug.

For Balto's ears only, Danny whispered "That's my very good boy."

The wolf-dog nuzzled the boy's neck before he was called by the musher for a picture with the other dogs. Danny pushed him forward to go get the photo taken. The wolf-dog was placed beside Steele and Star, who had begun to like the wolf-dog. Once the photo was taken, the dogs began to disperse. Some spoke a few words to Balto before splitting off and going to their owners.

Steele, much to Balto's surprise, cut him off and quietly said "Good job, Half-Breed."

It took a minute before the wolf-dog began to understand and he smiled. "Thanks Steele."

The husky grunted before walking off. Balto pranced over to the ebony-haired teen, who had been waiting for him. Together, the two went inside to wait for Jazz to wake up.

As they sat by the girl's bedside, Balto's head in Danny's lap, the teen called "Hey Balto."

The wolf-dog looked up at the teen expectantly. Danny smiled down at him and said "I asked my parents if we could adopt you... And they said yes."

Balto, in complete joy, jumped into Danny's lap and began licking him again. Danny laughed but wrapped his arms around Balto so he wouldn't slip out of his seat. The teen shrugged at the animated canine in his lap. "Hey, we're alike. And we need to stick together."

Balto and Danny locked eyes again and smiled.

* * *

**I was very disappointed in the lack of Danny Phantom/Balto x-overs. ... SO I MADE ONE! What a surprise right? (Wrong.) This chicky's got a lot of time on her hands to play with alternate universe~!**

**Anyways, so, with Danny's presence, THAT happened (in my universe anyways)! I eliminated the blizzard that slowed the team down and made them everywhere else so they still couldn't get the serum to Nome (It happens. One of my last neighborhoods never got hit by anything.). I also made up a time frame of a week and a half because everywhere I looked, it didn't say how long it took to make the journey. And lastly...**

**...**

**Nope, that's it. Everything's pretty straightforward. Hope ya'll enjoyed! This ended up being a lot longer than I originally thought! :D**

**For any possible flamers: ...if it didn't interest you, why did you read? Like, seriously, what's the point? Why read something you don't wanna read when you could be reading something you _wanna_ read? Seriously. It's not that hard.**

**This one-shot is _over_. Again, hope you enjoyed.**

**-KW13**


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